Power outage knocks out PET scans at Health Sciences Centre facility

Buhler Centre at 715 McDermot Ave. outage caused by sewer backup

The PET CT scanner at the University of Manitoba's Buhler Centre is out of commission due to an ongoing power outage. (Chip Ellis/Associated Press)

A power outage at the University of Manitoba's Buhler Centre on the Health Sciences Centre (HSC) campus has put a number of patient services on hold, including PET CT scans.

The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) operates a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) CT scanner in the building but without electricity the machine is out of commission.

The PET CT scanner sees approximately 8 to 10 patients per day, according to the WRHA.

"We fully understand the seriousness of the temporary loss of our PET CT scanner. Many of our patients are oncology patients, including a small number of children. This is why we are looking at a variety of alternative options to provide this valuable diagnostic service during the outage and supporting the University of Manitoba to resolve the power outage as soon as possible," said Dana Erickson, chief operating officer with Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg and regional executive responsible for diagnostic imaging, in a news release.

Approximately 25 scans have been cancelled since the incident, and a further 10 scans scheduled for Friday have also been put on hold, said the WRHA.

The power outage was caused by a sewer backup on floors five through eight at the Buhler Centre, said the WRHA.

The damaged components in the building's electrical system were custom-made, said the University of Manitoba. The school said it placed a special order to obtain the parts.

Non-urgent scans will be rescheduled as soon as possible, said the WRHA.